A year-round construction zone

January 10, 2005

Jackie McWright is spending her winter working in freezing wind tunnels formed by ramps, overpasses and the rush of traffic on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

An ambitious year-round program is well under way to rebuild part of the Ryan, as well as the Kingery Expressway, to speed through the construction hassles faced by motorists. The work is moving ahead, seven days a week, so long as the air temperature is above zero and conditions aren't too wet to pour concrete, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

McWright, 40, a veteran construction worker, dressed for success on Friday for her 6 a.m. shift as a flagger on the Ryan where new ramps to the Chicago Skyway are being built.

Under her safety helmet and outerwear, McWright said she had on bib coveralls, three turtlenecks, a T-shirt, long underwear, socks and stockings.

A constant wind blew, numbing any exposed skin, but McWright insisted: "It's not that bad today. You do your job, go home and take a bath, eat a hot meal and go to bed."

Her choice in work garments was intended primarily to avoid frostbite. But also important was wearing clothes that are not too clunky--in case McWright needed to jump out of the way of, say, an out-of-control truck flipping over a concrete construction barrier.

"I make sure I always got plenty of running room, just in case," McWright said.

More than 200 construction workers are on the job daily on the Ryan, which ranks as the busiest Chicago-area expressway, handling about 320,000 vehicles a day.